An enforcement operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents took place on the campus of Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore on Thursday morning, reportedly leaving students and staff shaken as they prepared for promotion ceremonies. The incident involved the detention of two individuals, identified as Jesus Acevedo-Sanchez and his wife, as they arrived at the school to drop off their children.
According to CNN, the situation unfolded around 8:00 AM as students were arriving for the day. Per The Baltimore Banner, video footage of the scene shows agents holding Acevedo-Sanchez on the ground in a bus loop near the school entrance. In the car, his wife peered out of a broken window, while their two children were in the back. In the video, you can reportedly hear one of the children yell that her father had not done anything.
Footage captured Thursday morning shows the moment a man was taken into ICE custody outside a Southeast Baltimore school during a pre-kindergarten graduation ceremony.
— The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) June 12, 2026
Baltimore City Public Schools confirmed the operation occurred at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle… pic.twitter.com/Y7xi5TyGZJ
The Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis stated that the agency pursued Acevedo-Sanchez, who drove into the school parking lot. She alleged that he “refused lawful commands, violently resisted arrest, and used his vehicle to evade law enforcement, dragging an ICE officer in the process.” The agency further claimed that during a previous encounter in April, Acevedo-Sanchez caused a collision with an ICE vehicle before fleeing.
The family lawyer has offered a different perspective
According to the Banner, attorney Rachael Savage filed a petition on Friday. In it, she stated that her client, a native of Mexico who has resided in Maryland for over twenty-five years, had no known criminal history.
Regarding the morning of the arrest, Savage wrote that Acevedo-Sanchez and his wife were dropping their two children at school when their vehicle was hit in the rear and side by two ICE vehicles.” The statement reads, “He and his wife were violently detained outside Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School in front of their children.” She also stated that he has been in immigration detention since.
Jude Castellanos, a driver for an independent school transportation system, described the scene to CNN as the children in her van witnessed the arrest. “Oh, they’re gonna arrest us. They’re gonna take us,” the children said. Castellanos told CNN that the students, ranging from first to fifth grade, were terrified and screaming, adding, “I’m completely shocked because I’ve seen this in the streets, but I’ve never seen this inside of a parking lot in a school.”
Maryland state Sen. Bill Ferguson addressed the situation on Facebook, saying, “It’s truly unconscionable and unbelievable what happened this morning.” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott took to X, writing that he reached out to “federal authorities to express our anger at this arrest occurring on school grounds,”
In a statement, Governor Wes Moore wrote, “Schools are places where children should feel safe, where parents should be able to drop off their kids without fear, and where educators should be able to focus on teaching – not where federal agents carry out immigration enforcement actions in front of children.”
Following the incident, Bis told CNN, “ICE leadership coordinated with school officials and the Governor’s Office to ensure the situation was resolved safely and with minimal disruption to the community,” and added, “To be clear: ICE does not target schools, but we will not allow criminals to hide in our nation’s schools and put the safety of children at risk.” School officials, however, have reportedly pushed back against the narrative provided by federal authorities.
Baltimore City Public Schools spokesperson Sherry Christian stated, “Based on the video we have reviewed and firsthand accounts from staff and families, we have questions about ICE’s characterization of events,” Christian said. “Significantly, Baltimore City Public Schools did not coordinate with ICE during Thursday’s incident at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School.”
Our schools should be safe spaces for our children. Today's action by Trump's ICE on the campus of John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore traumatized our kids.
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) June 11, 2026
This is not making our communities safer.https://t.co/G7QJckpP66 pic.twitter.com/zLztoaXO85
In an email to The Banner, Christian added, “ICE has acknowledged that schools should remain places focused on learning and that enforcement actions should not occur on school campuses. We welcome that commitment and expect future actions to reflect it consistently.”
The school district and local leaders are reportedly seeking clear assurances that such an event will not occur again. Maryland Speaker of the House Joseline Peña-Melnyk has demanded further explanations from the ICE Baltimore Field Office regarding the specifics of the operation.
Meanwhile, Acevedo-Sanchez’s two children are currently in the care of an aunt. He and his wife are facing federal charges, including resisting and impeding federal officers and assault. ICE had already come under fire after operations in daycares and schools in Minnesota led to furious parents. The agency also came under fire for misrepresenting themselves to enter Columbia University and detain a student.
